On Higher Ground
by Anbu-chan
Summary: When she dances, she leaves the world behind, and they can only dream of where she goes. AU, ballerina!Sakura


A/N: I couldn't resist this one. Ballet has to be one of my favorite art forms, so this story was born from it! I hope you all enjoy, I don't own Naruto.

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Naruto grimaces as his mother yanks the tie around his neck tighter, gulping and praying that he will be able to breathe normally the rest of the night.

"Kaa-san," he whines. "Why do we have to do this? It's going to be _so _boring!"

His mother, Kushina, gives him a look and stepps away once she is satisfied with his tie. She goes back to her bureau and fastens her dangling earrings, looking beautiful in her deep green and slim fitted ball gown, her copious amounts of hair pulled high into a French twist.

"We're going, because this is easily the biggest function in Konoha and if your father wants to run for Prime Minister again, we have to show up."

Naruto slumps into the seat next to his mother's dresser, sighing and placing his head in his hand. He used to love watching his mother get ready in front of the mirror, and he still does, but he can count on many fingers the reasons why he doesn't want to be at some fancy party.

"I know, but it's the Hyūgas, kaa-san. Couldn't someone else host it at least? I'll be asleep before dinner is even served!"

His mother rounded on him with a fiery look in her eye. She pinched his cheek and scolded him, "The Hyuga and the rest of the Founding Clans are very important, baka! They may not be the liveliest of the lot, but we must be respectful. They sent us an invite."

He groans. "But I could be back at the University and studying!"

Kushina laughs outright at him. "Naruto, it's a Friday night, you'd be at Ichiraku and then the karaoke bar for the entire night. You can't fool your mother."

Naruto fiddles with his tie, knowing his mother is right, like always. He heaves another sigh, and mentally prepares himself for a very long and uncomfortable night. He knows that his suit was tailored to fit him perfectly, but it still felt too stuffy and tight.

"Come on," she says, letting her face soften. "After the greetings are done, I'm sure you and Sasu-chan can sneak away with the other kids, as long as you don't cause any trouble."

Kushina picks up her clutch and motions for her son to follow, and he does so obediently. They walk downstairs, where his father waits for them. A large grin spreads on his face as he rises from the couch.

"My Red Hot Habanero," he says into her hair, kissing her forehead lovingly. He goes to ruffle Naruto's hair, but thinks twice at the dangerous look his wife sends him. He gives his son a kiss on the forehead, too.

"Are you ready?" He asks his son, aware that this will be the first time he's had to go to any of their political conventions. His son is becoming a man, now and Minato is proud.

Naruto shrugs, and plays with the buttons on his sleeves. "As I'll ever be."

Minato reads the expression on his tanned face and grins at him. "You'll have fun, don't worry," he says, winking at him.

Naruto blushes and a sheepish smile slides across his lips. Rubbing the back of his neck, he agrees, "I guess it won't be that bad… Teme will be there, too!"

Kushina grabs his ear and pulls him down to her level. "Don't you dare call him that tonight!"

"Alright, alright! I heard you!"

Minato chuckles and gives them their coats, ushering them to the sleek black car waiting outside. The three of them get in the back seat, and Minato lets the driver know of the location.

Naruto presses his face up against the cool glass, the quiet murmurs of his parents lulling him into a relaxed state. He knows that as long as he makes the best of it, the night can't go wrong.

Too soon, the car pulls to a stop and his father lets them know, "We're here."

The driver opens the car door and his father steps out, holding out his hand to his mother. Naruto follows shortly after, and squints at the flashing of camera lights. The paparazzi stand behind velvet ropes, and his father leads them quickly into the building, only stopping briefly to wave and smile, showing off his crisp black tuxedo.

When they enter the venue, someone comes to take their coats, and Kushina lets out a sigh of relief. "You've been Prime Minister for years, and I've been married to you for even longer, but that experience will never get any easier."

"You handle it well, Anata," he says, placing an arm around her, steering her to the grandiose room. The room reaches high above them and is lit by expensive chandeliers, the view of the night sky visible through the glass ceiling. Everything is done in white, with accents of lilac and gold. The Hyuga crest emblazons the long white drapes on the wall and each table has centerpieces teeming with ferns and white lilies, creating a heady aroma. The guests are dressed lavishly, and Naruto can recognize many notable figures from where he stands just slightly behind his father. The Uchiha, the Aburame, Inuzuka, even the Nara are at this event, and Naruto has to wonder why it is so special.

While his father and mother greet other guests, Naruto grabs a flute of champagne and slinks off to where the Uchihas have congregated.

"Sasuke!" He says loudly, gaining the attention of more than one Uchiha. Itachi turns around and smiles at him, tapping his younger brother's shoulder.

"Don't look now, but a certain Uzumaki is heading your way."

Sasuke rolls his eyes and can't fight the slight grin on his face as he greets his best friend. "Teme," Naruto tells him into the hug, and he can hear the customary response, "Dobe," muttered back.

"Some event, huh?" He asks the Uchiha brothers, taking a sip of his champagne. Naruto startles briefly when weight settles on his shoulders. "Not one for a suit and tie, eh, Naruto?"

"Shisui!" He cries, twisting to give the slightly older man who he considered family a hug.

Sasuke grunts something into his drink, and Itachi raises his tumbler. "It happens every year, Naruto-kun. It's a regular event once you get involved in politics."

Naruto shakes his head and squints. "Not worth the trouble if you ask me. It looks like most of our graduating class from Gōken is here. Didn't think I'd be seeing them until the ten year anniversary or something like that, huh."

Sasuke looks over there too, sighing. "I'm trying to stay unnoticed, Dobe. I'm not sure if Yamanaka has grown out of that crush, and I'm not too eager to find out."

The boys nod sagely, understanding the logic behind it, but no sooner than the young Uchiha says that, the group turns and Ino spots Fugaku's youngest son, and she sends him a dazzling smile. "Sasuke-kun!" She says, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder, and with a swish of her deep purple dress, she struts over to them.

"Hey, Ino," Greets Naruto, and she nods back. "How've you been since school?"

Ino plays with her bangs coyly. "My dad has been teaching me about the business, and I'm going to school for design. I might have an internship in New York this summer, isn't that cool?" She gushes, genuinely excited, and Naruto grins, while Sasuke gives his signature grunt as a response. "That's awesome, Ino!"

By then, the rest of the rookies have caught up with them, and Naruto tries to ignore Kiba's jab at his suit and ignore him in general. He greets a sloe-eyed Shikamaru and a shy Hinata, before sharing an eye-roll at the way Neji looks down his nose at everyone and everything.

"It says that there'll be live entertainment tonight, what do you think it'll be?" Whispers Tenten to him, Lee and Chōji. Naruto didn't even know there would be a form of entertainment, so he shrugs his answer. Lee rubs his chin in thought, before saying, "Yosh! Maybe something traditional, like Noh. The Hyūga have exquisite taste, after all."

"Well," Shikamaru sighs, having overheard their conversation. "Looks like we're going to find out now."

And he's right, someone comes on stage and asks them all to return to their tables. Naruto looks for his mother, who is flapping her hand furiously in the air for him to see. He sits down next to her and his father, the Uchiha clan head and his immediate family sitting with them. Mikoto leans over and pats his cheek, talking with his mother and smiling softly. Fugaku and his father are speaking in hushed tones, and Sasuke has his arms crossed when the lights dim. Naruto shuffles in his seat, impatient. This performance is supposed to be a big surprise, and he wonders what it could possibly be.

Before he can think too much more on the subject, the sound of a cello begins to fill the air, and a woman floats on stage, dressed entirely in white and arms undulating like a bird setting flight.

A quiet sound escapes the Uchiha next to him, and he instinctively knows that Sasuke is just as riveted, too.

She takes tiny steps across the stage in the tips of her toes, arms arching high above her head, before she gently lowers to the ground, and tilts her face to the crowd. Even from the tables, Naruto can see the shocking green of her eyes and the pink of her hair, behind a feathered headpiece. She moves like she is in water, before falling to the floor, her leg extended beautifully, like a marionette cut from it's strings. Slowly, she rises again and floats once more, bending her torso in half. She turns away from the crowd, movement rolling down her arms like waves, and bends backwards. The audience gasps as she faces them upside down, before returning to a standing position, and folding to the floor once more.

Even though he knows that logically, her toes are on the ground, she seems to hover above the stage, her feet barely grazing the floor. Even when she finishes the dance, curving around herself, she manages to look graceful as she sits, legs crossed and arms folded over one another. There is a brief lull in silence after the cellist is done playing, and then the crowd bursts into loud applause, and the woman rises. She bows elegantly, to the crowd and her accompanist, a wide smile on her face, before galloping off stage with long legs like a gazelle.

"Kaa-san, who was that?" Naruto asks in a daze, once the roaring and clapping has receded.

His mother looks equally breathless, her amethyst eyes blown wide in amazement. "That was Haruno Sakura, the world's most famous ballerina."

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A/N: The dance described is the "Dying Swan" by Ana Pavlova, you can find the dance on youtube, but I like the version by Natalia Makarova more, the video quality is better. Tell me what you think! Leave a review and some love :)

Anbu-chan


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